Applying the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale to Patients

Daniel “Danny” Ashley is a California State University graduate who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and is now pursuing a master’s of public administration at the institution. While at Fresno State, Danny Ashley gained certification through the American Heart Association’s Basic Life Support program. He has also undergone a stroke assessment through the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) system.

The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale starts with having the potential stroke victim show teeth or smile. A normal state is when both sides of the face are symmetrical and move equally. An abnormal state is when one side droops or doesn’t move as well as the other.

Next is the Arm drift test in which the patient closes both eyes while holding the arms straight out for a 10 second period. If arms do not move or move the same, that is normal. If only one arm doesn’t move, or if one arm drifts down relative to the other, that is abnormal.

The final element of the CPSS test centers on speech, with the patient repeating the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Normal is when the correct words are spoken with no slurring. Abnormal, indicating potential stroke, is when words are slurred, wrong words are repeated, or no speech is forthcoming.